WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning) is a set of extensions to the HTTP protocol that allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote web servers.
DAV functionality includes creating, moving, copying, and deleting files and directories on a remote web server. Utilizing DAV requires both a DAV-aware client and server. The number of DAV-aware clients is growing and includes the 'Web Folders' used in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 as well as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in Office 2000.
The most common problems with mod_dav relate to the file-system permission settings on Unix servers. The Web server process must have permission to perform the requested action on the server. If the Web server is running as nobody, then that means nobody needs write access to the files and directories the user wishes to be changed. Also, local (server-side) manipulation of files in a DAV repository is not recommended. Specifically, file locks are implemented by mod_dav, not the file system. It is not suggested to look in the wecerr.txt file when you get a Windows error. Instead, refer to the server log to find out what went wrong.